Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Federal Government of smuggling Nigeria into a dangerous new era of private capture of public revenue, warning that the quiet appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Ltd as a new TSA collecting agent is nothing short of a national heist disguised as digital innovation.
In a blistering statement on Sunday, Atiku said the covert approval of the company mirrors the notorious Alpha Beta revenue cartel that once turned Lagos State’s finances into a private ATM for the politically connected during and after the Tinubu governorship years.
According to him, the FG is now attempting to “nationalise that same corrupt template,” effectively converting Nigeria from a republic into a “private holding company controlled by a tiny ring of vested interests.”
Atiku condemned the administration for sneaking in the controversial decision at a moment when Nigerians are mourning victims of escalating insecurity, describing the timing as “insensitive, immoral, and a calculated act of governance by stealth.”
“When a nation is grieving, leadership should show empathy — not expand private revenue pipelines,” he said.
A Government Cornered by Questions It Cannot Answer
Atiku raised sharp, uncomfortable questions the government has refused to address:
- Why was the appointment smuggled through without consultation, stakeholder input, or National Assembly scrutiny?
- What value does Xpress Payments bring that existing TSA platforms don’t already provide?
- Who is the real beneficiary — Nigeria or a well-oiled political network?
He insisted that no serious democracy inserts middlemen between citizens and their government revenue, warning that every step taken so far suggests a deliberate attempt to cartelise national finances.
“This is not reform. This is state capture masquerading as digital innovation,” Atiku declared.
A Demand for Immediate Action, Not Excuses
Atiku called for an urgent halt to what he described as the creeping privatisation of Nigeria’s revenue collection architecture.
He demanded:
- Immediate suspension of the Xpress Payments appointment pending a transparent public inquiry;
- Full disclosure of the contract terms, beneficiaries, fees, and selection criteria;
- A comprehensive audit of the entire TSA system to block political infiltration;
- A clear legal framework preventing revenue middlemen and political proxies from hijacking government financial systems;
- A shift in national priorities, warning that a country under siege cannot afford “economic governance conducted in the shadows.”
“Nigeria’s Revenues Are Not Spoils of War”
Atiku argued that in a period of nationwide insecurity and economic despair, diverting attention and public funds to political cronies is both reckless and dangerous.
“Nigeria’s revenues are not political spoils. They are the lifeblood of our survival,” he said.
“The government must abandon this Lagos-style cartelisation of public funds and return to transparency, constitutionalism, and accountability.”
With this latest confrontation, Atiku once again positions himself as one of the most vocal critics of a government increasingly accused of concentrating power, wealth, and national systems in private hands — all under the guise of reform.
Facebook Comments
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings